The present invention relates generally to roll forming machines and structural framing components made therefrom and, more particularly to a roll forming apparatus for fabricating metal studs and tracks for structural framing and other load-bearing construction systems, the present roll forming apparatus facilitating the fabrication of variable metal studs and tracks from a common sheet of coiled material with minimum changeover time.
Metal framing components and associated accessories are widely used in the construction industry for many different structural framing applications. Structural framing members include metal studs, metal joists and accompanying channel tracks designed for load-bearing construction applications. These metal framing members are typically made of light steel and come in several styles to meet various needs. Performance characteristics may vary depending upon the gauge (thickness), web dimension, flange and the specific style of the member itself. The key variation among metal stud styles is in the web dimension. For most applications, the flange is the bearing surface for cladding materials. It is also a key contributor to the load bearing capacity of the stud member.
Metal studs and joists are typically made with punched holes in the web dimension of the stud or joist for accommodating plumbing and electrical installation. The metal track members accompany all stud/joist designs and serve as channel runners and/or end caps at the top and bottom of any load bearing wall construction. These track members may also be combined with other members to form headers and other structural components for added strength. In a typical wall construction, the metal studs are placed within the track members at each opposite end thereof and are attached thereto in spaced apart relationship along the length of the track members in accordance with building code specifications.
Metal studs and tracks are typically fabricated from a roll forming process using a sheet of coiled material having one width dimension for fabricating the stud member and another sheet of coiled material having a different width dimension for fabricating the track member. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a typical metal stud and metal track fabricated from a conventional roll forming process, the track member 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 having a slightly greater width or web dimension 12 as compared to the width or web dimension 22 of the stud member 20 illustrated in FIG. 2 for receiving the same therewithin. The track member 10 can be fabricated in a plurality of predetermined lengths to accommodate any particular application and typically includes a substantially flat bottom wall or web portion 12 and a pair of opposed upstanding side walls 14 forming a generally U-shaped channel track member as illustrated in FIG. 1. The stud member 20 is sized to fit within the track member 10 and typically includes a substantially flat wall or web portion 22, a pair of opposed side walls 24, and a pair of opposed flanges 26 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Like the track member 10, the stud member 20 can likewise be fabricated in a plurality of predetermined lengths to accommodate any particular application.
Because the stud member 20 includes inwardly projecting flanges 26, the sheet of coiled material utilized for forming the stud member is normally of greater width than the sheet of coiled material utilized to fabricate the track member 10. Because of this difference in coil width, the roll forming process must be stopped and the size of the coiled material must be changed when transitioning from fabricating metal stud members to fabricating metal track members, or vice versa. As a result, a typical manufacturing process would include fabricating a plurality of stud members and thereafter, stopping the roll forming machinery, removing the sheet of coiled material for fabricating the metal studs, inserting and feeding a new sheet of coiled material having the appropriate width for manufacturing the track members, making adjustments to the roll forming machinery to achieve a greater width or web dimension, removing or adding roll forming stations to accomplish or delete the roll forming of the stud flanges, and thereafter restarting the roll forming process so as to manufacture a plurality of track members. This changeover or transition from roll forming metal studs to roll forming track members is time consuming and labor intensive since the roll forming equipment must be changed and adjusted to achieve the end product, namely, inwardly extending flanges associated with the stud member, and a greater width or web dimension with no inwardly extending flanges associated with the track member. Often times, separate roll forming machinery is utilized to fabricate the studs and tracks. This is also expensive since dual equipment must be maintained. Additionally, construction industry workers must measure and position studs at the proper spaces within the track members before drilling and securing them in place. This process is likewise labor intensive and inefficient.
It is therefore desirable to design and implement a roll forming system which would facilitate a quick transition from fabricating metal stud members to fabricating corresponding metal track members from the same piece of equipment and from the same common sheet of material thereby eliminating the need to stock and manually change the sheet of coiled material during the manufacturing process and the need to maintain separate machinery or substantially manually reconfigure existing equipment. It is also desirable to design and implement a roll forming system which is programmable to punch a plurality of openings at predetermined spaced apart locations along the length of the web portion of the metal stud during the manufacturing process and which will shear the coiled material at a predetermined length to produce a plurality of metal studs all of the same predetermined length, or different lengths; it is desirable to design and implement a roll forming system which is programmable to punch a plurality of corresponding openings and tabs associated respectively with the stud members and track members for attaching the same to each other at predetermined locations along the length of each track member; it is desirable to improve the overall operation and efficiency of fabricating metal studs and corresponding track members and to substantially reduce the time during transition; and it is desirable to reduce the overall cost of such equipment.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.